


all the secrets I don't tell you

by Leni



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shots set in a world where Rumpelstiltskin never answered Maurice's summons...</p><p>(So far, they're set in an alternate version of first-season Storybrooke.)</p><p>1. Lacey&Ruby: <i>all the secrets I don't tell you</i><br/>2. Lacey: <i>The Gift</i><br/>3. Lacey&Regina: <i>The Warning</i><br/>4. Belle & Rumpelstiltskin:<i> Meeting You</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Belle&Ruby: all the secrets I don't tell you

**Author's Note:**

> Ruby had never expected Lacey French to become such a good friend. (Alternate Season One. Implied Lacey/Gold.)
> 
> Written for PprPpl at [Comment Fic](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/555851.html?thread=78240075#t78974539). Prompt: **I let my daddy issue flag fly free last night.**

Ruby made sure that her grandmother was distracted checking the meat delivery before she abandoned the half empty ketchup bottles and grabbed Lacey's arm to detour her away from her work and onto one of the booths further away from the kitchen. Lacey didn't struggle; it might have been only in the last couple of months that they'd exchanged more than a few sentences about the weather or the floral arrangements, but Ruby was confident that her newest friend was by now familiar with her spontaneous side.

"This better not take long," Lacey warned, though, even as she let herself be led and seated. "I still have to water the flowers, and I need to leave before eight thirty; I can't be late."

"Don't worry," Ruby said, sitting down across the table. "It's barely eight. The ogre won't have an excuse to growl at you today."

Instead of being relieved by the assurance, Lacey rolled her eyes. "I've told you already, he's not that bad."

Ruby didn't believe that for one second, but it was like Lacey to make the best of a bad situation. Most days she envied that resilient disposition, until she remembered that Lacey's situation was not enviable at all. "Maybe not," she lied, half because she didn't want to make her friend feel bad, or worse, listen to her defense of Gold; but mostly because she didn't want to waste time talking about, well, _Gold_. "Just listen, okay? This is important." She leaned forward and whispered, waggling her eyebrows in a manner that should have prompted her friend's curiosity. "You won't _believe_ what happened last night."

But this was Lacey French, who'd survived some pretty tough blows from fate and then had taken on - and rumor said, actually asked for - the worst job in Storybrooke. Nothing fazed her. All Ruby got for her excitement was a little knowing smile. "Oh, I think I can see some feathers stuck to your whiskers, you bad kitty. Did we get a name this time?"

It had taken weeks for Ruby to tell when Lacey was teasing, but once she did, she'd decided she liked the girl's deadpan sense of humor. It was one of Lacey's little quirks. "It's a secret," she said.

That did get blue eyes to widen a little. "Must be important."

Ruby shook her head. "More like, I don't want you to freak out too much. Let's just say, I let my daddy-issue flag fly free last night."

Lacey's expression wavered for a second, and Ruby could have kicked herself at the phrasing. Better to have a non-entity as a father than Moe French, she thought - not that Lacey would ever agree. Her friend recovered quickly, and Ruby did her the favor of pretending she hadn't noticed. "Now that's new," Lacey said, and smiling she added, "Already ran through the younger ones, eh?"

Ruby pressed her lips together so as not to crack a laugh. "The ones worth checking, anyway."

And though Lacey hadn't been on a date since Greg - or so everyone assumed, and Ruby had no reason to believe otherwise - she nodded in agreement. "Sad bunch, the lot of them. Good for you, for moving on."

And she meant it.

Only Lacey was so matter-of-fact about Ruby's serial dating. Most of the town didn't care, as long as she kept hunting among the unattached. But the people who cared for her fell in two camps, both at the extremes of possible reactions: they either berated her to no end (like Granny, who'd get started if she got whiff of this conversation) or turned a blind eye to it (like Mary Margaret, who only smiled vaguely when Ruby hinted at one of her escapades).

Ruby loved them both, of course, but it was so refreshing to talk to someone who didn't judge or look at her only through rose-colored glasses.

Lacey laughed at the ridiculous lines Ruby got at the Rabbit Hole, and she remembered better than Ruby who had treated her to which place. While everybody else in her life would cheer if Ruby settled down, Lacey seemed happy as long as Ruby enjoyed her life and didn't get hurt... or hurt somebody else. She'd actually sat Ruby down in this very booth and told her not to flirt with Billy if she didn't plan to follow through with a serious relationship. Anyone else, Ruby would have accused of trying to stifle her; but with Lacey, she had been wise enough to appreciate the honest advice.

And when Billy had looked her in the eye and said, "Have a drink with me after your shift," and she'd let him down as gently as she'd known how, he had chuckled and nodded to himself. "Had to try it," he confessed, "Lacey said that if I really cared about you, I'd be brave and tell you; and that knowing you didn't feel the same wouldn't hurt as much as wondering forever." He had the look of a guy who was working on the latter, but he smiled anyway. "So - how about some food?"

Ruby had brought him a double portion of his favorite pie, and made his coffee exactly how he liked it (she _was_ a superb waitress, she just didn't often care to prove it). It had been awkward at first, but Billy still came for a bite every other day, and they still struck up a conversation if he caught her between shifts.

They were friends, and if Billy was secretly holding onto hope... well, she'd burn that bridge when she came to it.

"Oh, believe me, I'm done with the post-college crowd," she told Lacey now. "I had no idea what I was missing, until I had such a great time last night." She knew she was practically gushing, but she hadn't had such a good night out in ages. It felt as if she'd fallen in a rut for the last years, and she hadn't even noticed. "He took me to that Eastern food restaurant that's finally opened - you know, the one they've been remodeling since forever. So unique, so elegant! And he was a match for the occasion; he was even wearing a suit when he picked me up - well, from the bus station - and he had _flowers_." She reached up to the rose she'd twined in her hair that morning. The rest of the bouquet was still at her bedroom window, and her grandmother had surprised her by making no comment when she'd noticed it. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Lacey made a sound of approval. For obvious reasons, a man who appreciated flowers ranked high in her esteem. "Sounds like you had a delightful date."

Ruby felt her lips give into a wide grin and she nodded with effervescent joy. "It was," she sighed happily. "We talked about everything, and he actually listened to me and asked questions instead of focusing the conversation on himself. And when we left..."

"Yes?" Lacey asked, as engrossed in the story as if she'd reached a cliffhanger in one of her novels.

"He asked for permission for a kiss before driving me home."

By now the two of them were wearing silly grins.

Lacey put both elbows on the table and rested her chin on top of her interlaced fingers. "And will this mystery gentleman be given a second date?"

"If he asks."

Lacey raised a surprised eyebrow. " _If_?"

And this was why Ruby hadn't been able to wait until dinner time, when Lacey didn't need to worry about being on time at the pawnshop, before talking with her. She needed some more advice, and even though Lacey was barely older than she, getting over a series of tragedies had given her a maturity beyond her years. "I don't think he wants to stay a 'mystery' for long, but I'm afraid of what Granny will say when she finds out. We just made up, and I really don't want to fight with her over this."

"Ruby," Lacey chided, "your grandmother wants the best for you. If you like this guy so much, she'll be fine. It's not as if she doesn't get along with everyone in t-" Something shifted in her expression, a flash of alarm before her features smoothed back. "Who _is_ this man?"

Ruby bit her lip, and was about to shake her head when she noticed how Lacey was wringing her hands in obvious anxiety. If she were in her place, she supposed, she'd also worry that her friend was dating someone so unsuitable she didn't want to tell his name.

Lacey was a true friend, one Ruby hadn't expected to find in the girl who'd delivered flowers at Granny's request for years. It wasn't until this fall that Belle had snapped out of her heartbreak and started noticing the world around her again. It had begun with her sitting down for the free coffee and bagel Granny had been pushing on her since the beginning of their arrangement; that had led to short conversations as Ruby refilled her cup, and once she'd mentioned a movie Lacey had loved in its book format, the conversations hadn't been short at all.

Before then, every time Ruby had remembered the other girl, she got this hazy image of the prim valedictorian a year (or was it two?) ahead of her, always too busy with homework and extracurricular projects to mingle with the other seniors, much less the younger students. She'd heard through the rumor mill about the difficulties she and her father had gone through, and the quiet Lacey who'd ghosted through the diner every morning hadn't been approachable.

Ruby still didn't know what had triggered the change in attitude, but she was grateful because she'd gotten a new friend as a result.

A friend who, right now, looked as fretful as Ruby had ever seen her. "He's a good guy, I swear," she reassured her. "Really nice, and so very funny."

The words did seem to calm Lacey down. "Nice," she repeated, "and funny." A smile painted itself on her face, erasing every trace of concern. Her relief was so obvious that Ruby found herself smiling back.

"I'll tell you as soon as I can, promise."

Lacey nodded. "But tell your grandmother first. She wants you happy, I know she does."

"I want her working," came Granny's voice from a few feet away, making the two of them jump in their seats. It never ceased to amaze Ruby how light-footed her grandmother could be. She mustn't have heard more than Lacey's last words, though, because her expression only held a mild annoyance when it turned to Ruby. "Up, girl. It's almost time, and Lacey's breakfast won't serve itself."

"It'd be lovely, though," Lacey said dreamily. "Just like magic."

A smile twitched in Granny's lips, but a head shake turned it away. "And you, Lacey French, don't think I've not seen all those loose flowers. I'm not paying you to chat with my granddaughter, so better hurry before that boss of yours comes darken my doorstep bellowing for your presence."

Ruby couldn't blame Lacey for the sudden blush on her cheeks. Even she'd felt embarrassed on her friend's behalf that morning. 

"It was only that once," Lacey muttered, bashful, and she fished in her ever-present book bag until she held out a cell phone. "and he made sure it wouldn't happen again."

Ruby had grown used to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony alerting everybody at the diner that it was 8:25 in the morning, followed by Lacey's mad dash to the door and her goodbyes often shouted around a half-eaten bagel.

It would have been decent of Gold that he'd paid for the device, if it hadn't put her literally at his beck and call. More than once Ruby had watched Lacey pass by the diner, cell phone held between shoulder and ear as she scribbled down notes for whichever errand she was being charged with.

Granny seemed to share her opinion, because she made a disgruntled noise before she waved Lacey toward her unfinished work.

"I wish we could have hired her first," Ruby said once her friend was distracted by her flower arrangements, starting her way back to the kitchen and to her own work. "For a full-time job, I mean."

They'd done what they could, claiming that the diner needed some color and life, and that fresh flowers were the perfect solution. When Lacey had pointed out that they didn't need to be changed every day, Granny made up for it by requesting flowers for the empty rooms at the inn.

Ruby was sure that, some weeks, their business had kept Game of Thorns afloat.

If they'd known that Lacey's way to supplement her income would be to take advantage of Ashley's attack on Gold and insist he needed a shop assistant while he recovered, Ruby was sure that she and Granny would have put Lacey behind the check-in desk and told her to manage the nonexistent guests.

Lacey would have had all the time in the world for her never-ending bundle of books, and above all, she wouldn't be under Gold's thumb.

But that ship had long sailed.

"Nothing we can do now," Granny said, echoing Ruby's thoughts. "But the moment that girl asks for our help..."

Ruby grinned sharply. Lacey was her friend; of course she'd help her as soon as she realized she wanted out of that contract.

It was only a matter of time.

 

The End  
28/09/14


	2. The Best Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lacey celebrates her birthday.
> 
>  
> 
> _Written for Scribble_MyName at[Comment Fic](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/562891.html?thread=79220171#t79220171). Prompt: **"I know it was you."** (post-it challenge)_

Lacey did her best to put out all the candles of her birthday cake, but after she'd been at it for almost fifteen seconds and some of them kept flickering back to life as soon as she went to the next, she raised her head and glared at the girl next to her. "Ruby!"

Ruby laughed, and the rest of their friends joined her. "You're too cute when you're angry," she told Lacey, but snagged out the trick candles. "Now, let's do presents!"

"Cake first!" Leroy complained.

He wasn't one of the guests, but he was a regular at the diner and Lacey had refused to hear about kicking him out so they'd have a bit of a private party. He'd kept his promise and restrained himself to the soda they'd been serving, and then he'd even volunteered to scoop out the ice cream portions for everybody. 

He'd only snarled once as he handed them out.

(If that once had happened when he'd come to Mr. Gold, well... Mr. Gold had snarled right back, so Lacey figured the two of them were even.)

"Sorry!" Lacey said to the both of them. "But I really must get back to work."

Leroy shook his head and grumbled something Lacey was sure she didn't want to understand.

Ruby frowned. "The ogre didn't give you the day off? I thought I heard-"

"Yes, sure." But only if she wanted to take it, he'd implied before he left an almost full bowl on the counter and started his way back to the shop. Considering she'd had to trick him into coming to Granny's, Lacey wasn't surprised he'd taken the fastest way out. "He _says_ he can handle it, but if he does, then he doesn't need to hire me anymore, does he?" Ruby, of course, didn't seem upset by the idea of Lacey's unemployment. Nobody in town seemed to get that working for Mr. Gold wasn't a life sentence; far from it, it was entertaining even though they spent most of their time together in silence. "I need that job, Rubes," she said for what felt like the thousandth time in the months since she'd started. "And I really don't need to get backlogged."

Ruby fixed her with a look. "It's your birthday, French. Forget what you need and do whatever you want."

Yes, and Lacey wanted to spend the day with--- at work.

She could have pressed her case and left, but Ruby had put the small party together, and Lacey felt she owed her friend a little more of her time.

"Fine," she relented. "One gift."

With a huge grin, Ruby clapped and bounded to collect one of the boxes from the pile that had amassed on one of the tables. 

Lacey might not be the most popular girl in Storybrooke, though she'd gained a certain notoriety through her association with Mr. Gold, but she was invariably nice to any and everybody in her path. That attitude, combined with the fact that she presented a new option to approach Mr. Gold without _actually_ approaching him, had earned her approving nods (and some distrustful glances, truth be told) where there had only been indifference before.

She wondered if the people would be as willing to avoid Mr. Gold and seek her out instead, if they realized they weren't outsmarting him after all. Lacey had the strong suspicion that Mr. Gold was _letting_ them get away with it. As far as she could see, her boss was happy to let her deal with the everyday problems, even going as far as to dismiss the messes caused occasionally by her inexperience, and concentrate instead of some personal project of his.

That was how Lacey had ended up making a few friends here and there (and a few enemies, because she _was_ the devil's assistant, in the eyes of many) through the last few months, as though making up for the years she'd spent in self-imposed solitude. 

If several of the people who had shown up today had brought her a gift (or a bribe, she suspected in some cases), Lacey wouldn't complain. It _was_ her birthday, after all.

"This one!" Ruby said, presenting her with a heavy box, wrapped in a soft blue color with a festive multicolor bow on top. "It was already there this morning. See, it has your name on the card, but it doesn't say who sent it!"

Lacey chuckled. "Probably forgot to write it down. I know it's happened to me before."

"Doesn't sound very smart," Leroy commented. "Sorry, but it's the truth, _Miss French_." The name was clearly supposed to be an imitation of her boss's appellation for her, but Leroy had managed to infuse it with more of a snide lilt than Mr. Gold at his worst. Clearly, the man was a real grump when he was sober - which may _still_ be a step up from the weepy mess he became when he was in his cups.

"Or," Ruby said, shooing off the shorter man with a glare, "you could have a secret admirer."

Lacey scoffed at the idea. Girls like her didn't have secret admirers, not in real life. "Or," she started as she unlaced the bow and opened the lid. She forgot the rest of the sentence as she stared at the contents. "Oh...."

Ruby peered inside, but she frowned at the sight, obviously unimpressed. She shook her head, "Well, that's disappointing." She must have noticed that Lacey's reaction had fallen on the opposite end of disappointment, because she quirked up a puzzled eyebrow. "Lace? You do know it's a book...."

"Yes."

Ruby snuck another look, just in case she'd missed something. She hadn't. "It's not even a collectable."

"It isn't," Lacey agreed, but her smile said that she didn't care one bit.

Ruby finally shrugged it off. She'd always known that Lacey French was an odd girl. "I had no idea you were this invested in Jane Austen."

"I'm n--- I mean, yes. I love her work." Lacey was still smiling as she took out the book and opened it lovingly. She glanced through the first few pages, then skipped to the last, looking for a dedication or a signature or some proof that she was on the right tack. There was nothing, and after a little thought, that was perhaps what convinced her. "But that's not why--- I just---" Her voice dropped to a disbelieving whisper. "I didn't know he'd been _listening_ when I mentioned this book."

Ruby gave a nod of understanding. "Maybe your dad isn't beyond hope."

Lacey blinked and opened her mouth, then she shrugged and laughed, hugging her gift to her chest. "I know he's not," she admitted, smiling wider at her secret meaning.

Ruby let her enjoy the moment - but only for a moment. "Can we do another?" she pleaded, clearly unwilling to see Lacey go. "A _fun_ gift this time?"

"You just don't want to go back to work," Lacey accused her, because Granny would waste no time sending Ruby back to her usual duties once the guest of honor had left.

" _And_ I want to check out your prezzies."

Lacey shook her head. "Sorry, Ruby. Mind if I leave the others here, though. You can help me with them in the evening, if you want." 

Ruby brightened at the idea. "Sure!"

Book carefully held against her, Lacey waved goodbye to everybody and followed the familiar path to the pawnshop. As she walked, she considered what to say once she got there, how she should act. Lacey did realize she was supposed to pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary, that her new book wasn't the very title she'd mentioned missing the most from her old collection. Mr. Gold had no use for gratitude, he'd repeatedly told her, and he certainly didn't like that his good deeds come to light. He'd even played along with her fake request for help at the diner, instead of letting her know he was aware it was her birthday.

If the town knew how many times she'd given him good reason to fire her...

The best course of action, Lacey decided, was to return fire with fire.

Or, in this case, a kindness with another.

Ten minutes later, after a short jog back to the diner and a rushed conversation with Ruby (her friend had been appalled at wasting a perfectly good piece of cake, but Ruby was often appalled by Lacey's behavior when it came to her boss), Lacey pushed the front door with her shoulder, as she had both hands busy, and hurried to the front desk before the sound of the bell drew Mr. Gold out from the back room.

She snagged a piece of paper from the notebook she kept next to the register machine, and scribbled a short sentence before folding the note and placing it next to the dessert fork she'd talked Ruby into letting her borrow.

By the time the tip-tapping of a cane was crossing the connecting door, Lacey had busied herself with the polishing of a statue on the other side of the room. 

"Hmph," was the noise Mr. Gold made when he registered her presence.

When he didn't tease her for leaving her own party to come to work, Lacey knew he'd seen the offering she'd left on the counter. Only getting a shock - a pleasant shock, she hoped - could have kept him quiet. Lacey waited a little more, straining her ears for any sound, but finally couldn't handle her own curiosity and turned around-

-to find Mr. Gold staring at her, his fingers playing absently with the corners of her note.

He straightened at once. "In need of some sweetness while you work?" he asked, gesturing at the plate with his free hand.

"You know that's not for me," Lacey said patiently. "I hope you like chocolate."

 _I know it was you_ , her note said.

Mr. Gold gave her a perplexed look, then glanced back at the piece of cake. "I... I don't dislike it."

 _...you're welcome_ , Lacey heard in his hesitation.

"Good," she said, pretending nonchalance as she returned to her work.

"Good," he echoed faintly after a long pause, and disappeared back into the back room without another word.

The plate wasn't on the counter anymore.

Hours later, as she tidied up the shop before closing time, Lacey was surprised not to see her note in the trash bin. Curious, she searched through the drawers, and then looked under the furniture to no avail. The exasperating man had taken it with him, then.

Lacey smiled.

That might be her best birthday gift yet.

 

The End  
09/10/14


	3. The Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Gold learns never to leave Lacey alone with Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These ficlets are not set in a straight timeline, by the way.

Lacey shot up from the worktable as soon as the front door bell announced a new client, dusting her jeans as she went. Work in the back room wasn't as daunting as it had been when she'd started, now that she'd imposed some order on the place. Mr. Gold would eventually allow her to let some light in, too; she was sure of that - well, almost sure - _reasonably_ sure.

"Coming!" she said as she crossed into the shop. "Good afternoon. How may I help... you?"

The last word threatened to become a squeak as Lacey spotted the mayor. She had no solid reason to be so uncomfortable around the older woman, yet every time they crossed ways, Lacey suddenly wished for invisibility. Everybody in town had a similar reaction, even the people who had voted her into City Hall were quick to keep their distance from Regina Mills.

But this was Mr. Gold’s shop, and Lacey worked here. Which meant, within these four walls, it was her duty to make the mayor feel welcome.

"Is there anything I can do for you, madam mayor?"

The mayor looked around once, and then made a visible effort to glimpse the room behind Lacey. When it became obvious that no one else would come to receive her, she tapped her feet against the floor in impatience. "Where's Gold?"

"Out." 

Lacey hoped she wouldn't be asked for details. Mr. Gold kept to a schedule of his own, and he rarely bothered to share it with her unless it affected her work hours - and then only to instruct her on how many extra hours he expected her to stay, and how much he would be paying for them. For all that they had different opinions on how to arrange the shelves (or that they needed to be arranged at all) and how much light to let in, Mr. Gold trusted her to mind the business in his absence.

With that thought in mind, Lacey took a step forward - deliberately getting closer to the other woman, until only the counter remained between them - and threw her shoulders back, trying to look more professional. "But, in the meanwhile, I'm sure I could-"

"No, you couldn't," the mayor cut her off. "Do you have any idea when your boss is coming back?"

Not at all. "I...."

"Yes or no, girl." Dark eyes narrowed. "And you better tell me the truth."

Lacey wasn't a stranger to other people trying to intimidate her. Size had never been in her favor, but she took a deep breath and remembered all the times she'd observed Mr. Gold and learned that a few less inches of stature were only as disadvantageous as one allowed them to be.

This _was_ Mr. Gold's shop, and she _did_ work here.

Which also meant that, here, the mayor had no more power than any given to a client. And no one who crossed the doorstep of the pawnshop could expect to be granted much of it. "No." It sounded like a challenge, for all that it was the truth. Something deep within her screamed that it was foolishness to antagonize this woman. With a swallow, Lacey lowered her gaze a little. "But if you wish to leave a message..."

The mayor started shaking her head, but stopped mid-motion. "As a matter of fact..." A small smile crossed her lips, and her posture seemed to relax.

Lacey wished she could follow her example.

"Miss... French, is that right?" 

Lacey nodded.

"I heard that Gold had hired an assistant. Busy man, for a small town pawnbroker," she said, gazing around the shop and its lack of other customers. "I can see he needs the help."

"Mr. Gold has other interests than the shop..."

"Yes, yes. You don't need to tell me the details. I'm already aware of how he's achieved his comforts." . She smirked. "I guess we can add you to the list, now. Though, really, Gold's standards have changed with the years." Lacey had never heard of Gold hiring anyone else, so she couldn't know how she measured up in comparison. But she could guess that the words weren't a compliment. In fact, the mayor was now eyeing her from head to toes, taking notice of the greasy spots on Lacey's clothes. Her painted lips thinned in disapproval. "Playing while the cat is gone, Miss French?"

"N-no." She could have cursed herself for that stutter! "I mean, no." Lacey crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover the worst stains. "Just working on some repairs."

"I'm surprised he'll let you near his treasures."

"It's part of the job."

"A real job, is it? I admit I was a little worried, having heard otherwise." 

The insinuation was clear. Despite having heard it in bolder terms, it still made Lacey bristle. She knew people whispered behind her back: a single, pretty girl; a rich bachelor.... The only reason the rumors didn't go beyond those whispers was because they were all afraid Mr. Gold would find out.

The mayor didn't look afraid to speak up.

Lacey straightened her back.There was no _reason_ to be on the defensive, but she wouldn't ignore that. She had every right to stand up for herself and her choices. Even to the most powerful woman in town. Her hands weren't as rational, and had decided to become two lumps of ice from sheer nerves. Lacey stuck them under her armpits and prayed her voice came out steady. By some miracle, it did. "I like my work, madam mayor, no matter what the general - and much misinformed - opinion might be."

Why had she said that last part! Maybe Mr. Gold was right. Maybe she did let her mouth run off when she shouldn't. This was the mayor, not a grumpy man with an irremediably askew sense of humor! Lacey had never heard of anyone criticizing Mayor Mills. Even the local newspaper acted more as her personal cheerleader than as the levelheaded evaluator of her work.

A flash of temper flared in the other woman's eyes a second before she composed herself. "I'm glad Mr. Gold has found such loyal help. After Miss Boyd... well."

Everybody in Storybrooke knew what Ashley Boyd had done. Lacey just happened to be among the few who weren't sure she'd taken the right approach to solve her problem. "Ashley's choices were her own."

"But one cannot deny the poor girl was terrified. Gold can be-"

"She'd signed away something she wasn't willing to give up, when it came to it," Lacey said, unwilling to listen to yet another unflattering description of her boss. He wasn't a saint; in fact, he was every bit a tyrant - to anyone who tried to cheat him. Lacey was no fool; she'd considered carefully Ashley's situation before coming to Mr. Gold. The deciding factor had been that Ashley had kept her daughter while Mr. Gold kept a scar on his left temple. "I'm quite happy with the contract I signed."

"Yes, you do seem content, Miss French." The mayor gave her an amused look. Her dark eyes met Lacey's, and held her gaze. "Of course, you're not a desperate teenager, trying to squirrel out of a deal. Despite your youth, despite whatever dreams you must have had about a better life... I'm sure Gold can trust you to keep your end of your contract." 

Lacey had dreams, once, and for too many years she'd floated through life, clinging to them. But a few months ago she had finally accepted that life moved on, and that time didn't stop to wait for her. Her life wasn't perfect, but it was enough. It was _real_.

She was about to explain some of that to the mayor, enough to make clear that nobody needed to worry for her well-being, but when she met the other woman's eyes, the words wouldn't come to her. And what if she was wrong, anyway? What if she had given up too quickly? How would she ever try to accomplish anything if she was stuck behind this counter, chained to Mr. Gold's monthly checks? "I..."

"Yes, such a good helper for our Mr. Gold." Red lips curved into a smile. It looked picture perfect, kind and understanding. Lacey could trust that smile... couldn't she? "But if you ever change your mind-"

"I... I won't."

The mayor ignored the interruption. "If you ever change your mind, Miss French, you can come to me. I've dealt with Gold before. I know he is not a character easily appeased, and that temper of his.... You're so young, my girl; it's no wonder if you're too scared to tell-"

No. No, she wasn't! But the mayor kept talking before Lacey could protest.

"-but you can trust me. Of course, you have your reasons to be here; pardon me for saying so, but everyone knows you can't _afford_ to go your own way."

No, she didn't. But... but she didn't want to leave either, did she?

"There's no shame in that. You are not the first to live with your fears - or work under them, as it were." The mayor had drifted closer, and her eyes met Lacey's and held her gaze. "Just make sure you don't let that fester. It would be such a shame; a sweet girl like you grown bitter by her circumstances, and all because that monster meddled in your life," she continued, her voice softer now. Kinder. "A shame, yes. So, remember, darling, you can always ask for my help."

Yes, that sounded like a good idea. It was a relief to have someone to look out for her for once. But... but she wasn't as afraid as all that. Mr. Gold was cranky, and he was as likely to give a detailed list of her mistakes as to poke fun at her over them. But he didn't even yell at her anymore, and... and...

"He is a dangerous man, Miss French," the other woman pressed. "Don't be a victim."

Lacey tried to deny that. She had been the one to come to the pawnshop and ask for a job. She had _chosen_ her fate. But the mayor seemed so earnest that her advice gave her pause. The older woman did have experience doing business with Mr. Gold, and while Lacey had been trying to make ends meet for years, the mayor had balanced a successful career with motherhood. She would know better. "I...."

"Should be working," came the voice from behind her, "not standing gape-mouthed in the middle of my shop," 

Lacey almost jumped out of her skin, suddenly terrified her boss had been listening in. She couldn't help the flinch when she heard him step closer, and when she finally convinced herself to look at him, the scowl he was sporting made her shiver.

It wasn't directed at her, at least.

"Madam Mayor," Mr. Gold greeted the other woman, giving her a polite nod that did nothing to hide the expression on his face. If not for the indirect acknowledgement of the words as he made his entrance, Lacey would have believed she was being ignored. "I see you ran me down at last. Congratulations," he added, tapping his cane pointedly against the floor.

The lame leg should have been a disadvantage, but with nothing but a few words Mr. Gold had turned the situation into a joke at the mayor's expense.

Though her lips held onto a stiff smile, her body straightened as if readying itself for a fight. "I really must talk to you, Gold."

"You really must stop bothering my employee," he replied, not even glancing in Lacey's direction. "Or perhaps you need me to ask _nicely_?"

Lacey didn't understand the mayor's reaction. There was a flash of contempt, but it was threaded with fear. If the most powerful in Storybrooke feared him... Lacey yearned to retreat, if not into the back room, then the more shadowed parts of the shop. Instead her mouth moved and words came out. "She was only leaving a message."

Both of them turned toward her, surprise clear on their faces. Lacey was surprised as well; she'd never heard of anyone interrupting either of them, much less during one of their confrontations. "I... I mean." Lacey looked first at the mayor, but the other woman appeared momentarily at a loss. Finding no support there, she tried to make herself look straight at her boss, but her gaze ended up straying to the floor. "Ms. Mills wasn't bothering me," she heard herself mumble.

She did manage to abort the shake of her hands, at least. A dangerous man, the mayor had said. Right now, Lacey believed that.

A low chuckle broke the silence. "Grown fond of Regina, have we?" He gazed at her for a long moment, seeming to know of the effort she was making so she wouldn't cringe from it. He gave an impatient shake of his head, and turned to the mayor. "Message received, dearie. Now do me a favor and _please_ leave Miss French out of this."

Politeness would be better served, Lacey thought, if he did not punctuate it by pointing his cane at the mayor.

After a long beat, the mayor nodded. "Fine."

Lacey figured she could breathe more easily now that they had reached some agreement. She also realized she was being silly. The mayor might mean well, but she was hardly the first to come to Lacey with groundless warnings. Mr. Gold was not nice - in fact, this was the first time she'd ever hear him use a 'please' - but he was a fair man. Try to cheat him, and he would rain doom on you. But be patient and hear him out where the rest of town was quick to judge, and he might surprise you with a kind gesture when you least expected it.

Though Lacey wasn't as easily surprised these days. 

Mr. Gold might be hopeless in any social situation where he didn't have the upper hand, and his sharp wit made most people bristle at perceived insults (to be fair, they were often right, too); but in private Lacey's boss was... well, not _un_ kind.

"I still need to talk with you, Gold," the mayor said, and when he only gave her a non-plussed gaze that signaled he wasn't stopping her, she huffed a little. "In private."

His eyebrows shot up in mock gesture of shock. "Are you implying that someone _I_ hire would dare be indiscreet?"

Lacey swallowed a snort. The way he put it, it sounded as if she'd be terrified to breathe a word, when it was simply that she was loyal to him and he knew it.

"Don't be difficult," the mayor snapped.

Lacey thought they would slip into another stand-off, but Mr. Gold cocked his head, his expression a heartbeat away from a mocking smile. "I admit I'm curious about what makes you so persistent, Regina. It's been a while since you bothered." He ignored the mayor's response to that taunt, and turned to Lacey instead, his face gentler than his tone as he gestured toward the front door. "You heard our esteemed mayor, Miss French. Now be a dear, and grab me something from Granny's." 

In the months since she had started working at the pawnshop, it was the first time he was willing to indulge a client's wish for privacy. 

"I promise you," he said, probably sensing her surprise and still ignoring the mayor's impatience, "this conversation will only bore you. It involves you only as much as the rest of the town."

In that tone, anyone would hear a cruel bit of sarcasm to impress that she was still a nobody. But Lacey caught the quirk in his lips, and sensed that it was the other way around, and that whatever happened here would impact Storybrooke in the near future.

She decided she didn't need to know. "Burger and coffee it is, then."

She was already at the door when Mr. Gold called out, "And don't let that harpy skimp on the pickles!"

Lacey almost sniggered, remembering the losing battle that was Mr. Gold trying to glare down the harpy in question (and wouldn't Mrs. Lucas grow ever fonder of her landlord if she knew about that nickname? ). Luckily, she reminded herself of the mayor's presence right in time, and just let out a cheery "Sure!" before heading out.

"Really, Gold, I'm shocked," Lacey heard the mayor say before the door closed behind her. Her voice was sweeter now; it had sounded concerned to Lacey, and she had appreciated the sentiment, but Mr. Gold would be sneering at it. "Don't say you've grown attached to that girl?"

Lacey hurried away.

He would deny it. And, without being in the same room to read between the lines, she might believe the words.

For now, it was enough to pretend she already knew the truth.

 

The End  
21/03/15


	4. nice to meet you, kind sir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after the breaking of the curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: into the fire.

The surprise on his face when he spotted her couldn’t be feigned.

Belle saw his mouth part in shock, and the swift recovery as his features hardened into a stern expression. Her eyes flicked down to his hands, and she breathed in relief when she discovered he was clutching at his cane.

Not as calm as he wanted her to believe, then.

“Good morning, Mr. Gold,” she greeted him as usual, happy to realize that the smile came to her without effort.

He frowned anyway. “Not my name, dearie,” he snapped, “and well you know it.”

Last evening, after she had decided that a broken curse should not derive into the loss of her job, Belle had also given thought to what to call her boss from now on. It was silly to believe that a different name would belong to a different man. Small details that had escaped her understanding in the last months, now made sense in the light of the truth. If the Dark Curse had decreed that their town should not change, then hiring her must mean he was awake for at least that long.

He had been Rumpelstiltskin for as long as she’d known him.

It still went against the beliefs of a lifetime to say his name out loud.

Brown eyes regarded her knowingly. Just as they had when he caught her trying to hide a book under the counter. “Cat got your tongue?” he asked with a hint of the familiar teasing.

Belle couldn’t resist taking that cue, making a point of poking her tongue out at him, and then giggling when the childish response made his smirk fade and his expression soften into something closer to amusement.

His head tilted as he studied her for a long moment. “You really aren’t afraid,” he said at last.

“I don’t think you want me to be… Rumpelstiltskin.”

At this he shook his head, but didn’t protest her presence in the shop again.

The rest of Storybrooke might pity her for having jumped from the frying pan into the fire, but Belle didn’t care for their opinion. From what she’d overheard, they thought her boss an unfeeling monster who had doomed them with the return of magic just as the Evil Queen had when she’d cast her curse.

Fools.

The man she knew was adorably awkward, and his sense of humor often made her laugh despite herself. Pawnbroker or Dark One, Belle didn’t care. She might have landed in a different situation than what her cursed self had planned, but Lacey French had been intrigued by Mr. Gold and that hadn’t changed at all.

 

The End  
13/06/17


End file.
